Cheap Cameras, Loud Stages: Capturing Music in Motion
‘The thing is, this music changed and saved my life. I wanted to be in it as deep as possible.‘
– How did you get started photographing concerts?
Oh damn, I feel old when I think about that. It was literally in the previous century. It was 1998 of 1999. I started taking pictures with those cheap disposable cameras. It was always pretty exiting to bring those cameras to the store to develop the pictures, because there wasn’t any way of telling if they would be any good. After that I bought myself a tiny Coolpix camera. I finally could take some digital pics. I didn’t really take it seriously and had no idea that I could be any good. But about 7 years later I had a girlfriend who did some modelling. She kinda convinced me to buy a real camera. It was second-hand but it felt great. I did some photoshoots with models and stuff like that. But it didn’t feel like it was my thing. Since I have been playing in bands myself since 2001, I was seeing a lot of concerts. So doing live photography actually felt like a normal thing to do.
– Why live photography?
I have been a music freak my entire life. It all started when my parents introduced me to Queen, Kiss, Roy Orbison, CCR, … just to name a few. There was music in the house all the time. I’m very grateful for that. Those guitars and drums really felt like my thing and pretty quickly I got drawn to hardcore punk and other forms of extreme music. I got in touch with the local H8000 scene and Ieper hardcore fest. I don’t think there were that many photographers at concerts those days. So bands liked it when someone was taking pictures. The thing is, this music changed and saved my life. I wanted to be in it as deep as possible. So, I went to concerts and I had a camera. It was a pretty easy decision to make. I tried to be as creative as possible, in all kinds of ways, when it came to music.
– How do you handle lighting requirements for indoor or night performances?
I really don’t have the most expensive gear. Just a while ago, I bought myself a Nikon Z5. This is the cheapest camera in the higher price range (I guess) and the most expensive one I’ve bought so far. I guess all concert photographers know that shitty lighting at concerts can destroy your entire set of pictures and that flash photography isn’t allowed. But I’ve learned to edit the pictures if it’s necessary. So everything I do leans on my Photoshop / Lightroom skills.
– Do you have to wait for the perfect shot or do you just take loads and comb through them? Which do you prefer?
Since I’ve always been used to work with cheaper cameras and/or lenses, I’ve never took any risks and made sure to have enough pictures. Just to make sure I had good ones. Also because I had been told by model photographers that they had about 10% good pictures after a photoshoot. So I kinda took that idea with me when I started concert photography. When I need 10 good pictures, I literally take 100 just to make sure.
– If you could only use one lens for the whole event, which would you use and why?
A 1.8 telelens for festivals would be awesome. But those things are so expensive. When you don’t make any money with photography, it’s not that easy to buy expensive gear. But hey, I manage. I have always done it the hard way and it seems to work out for me.
– How long does it take for you and the subject to get comfortable with each-other?
When it comes to concert photography, you don’t have a lot of time to get comfortable. After the first three songs, you’re done…
– If you could photograph any live event past or present, which would it be and why?
Queen at Wembley stadium. Freddie Mercury is the greatest of all time.
– How do you keep your energy up when an event runs for 4 – 6 hours?
I did Ieperfest last weekend. That’s 10 hours of live music per day. Eat plenty and drink a lot. Oh, and I don’t drink alcohol or things like that. Also, try to enjoy the bands and feel the music while you’re there.
– Last but not least, what is your most effective way of getting out of a creative slump?
I don’t want to make ‘regular’ concert pics. When I started this journey, I just made pictures. But it started to bore me pretty fast. When my pictures were online, they weren’t any different than those of other photographers. So I started to think how the band made me feel and tried to put that in the pictures. Most of the time, I listen to the music of the band that I’m editing. So if it’s a weird and chaotic band, I’m gonna make weird and chaotic pictures. They don’t always work out, I’m fully aware of that, and sometimes I post weird shit that people don’t like. But I would rather try to do my own thing and suck at it than just following a certain template.
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